Plasticity of the bilingual brain: How bilingualism changes brain structure and cognitive function

ABSTRACTResearchers have studied bilingualism for many years and have found that it attracts unique benefits to brain structure. Ranging from an increase in grey matter to the improvement of cognitive abilities, bilingualism’s benefits have led bilinguals to outperform monolinguals in cognitive challenges due to benefits from consistent and long-term use of another language. This paper presents a comprehensive investigation of the impact of bilingualism on brain structure and cognitive function, combining a literature review with a proposed hypothetical experiment to provide a holistic understanding of the structural changes associated with bilingualism. We explore how bilinguals show an increase in grey matter density and white matter integrity. Furthermore, we investigate how bilinguals exhibit neuroplasticity through a distinct shift in their utilization of brain structure, which differs from that of monolinguals, focusing on the anterior cingulate cortex sulcal patterns. To perform our review, we also focus on cognitive function and how bilinguals show better executive function, cognitive reserve, and memory abilities. After a review of cognitive function benefits, we perform a hypothetical experiment on how bilingualism impacts grey matter in the hippocampus and memory abilities. We engage monolinguals in a language training program to learn French and compare neuroimages between the groups. Through this review and experiment, we provide an informative paper that enriches the understanding of bilingualism’s benefits, providing guidance to future findings in this evolving field of research.